featuring guest authors; crafting tips and projects; recipes from food editor and sleuthing sidekick Cloris McWerther; and decorating, travel, fashion, health, beauty, and finance tips from the rest of the American Woman editors.

Friday, September 7, 2012

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY GUEST AUTHOR CINDY SAMPLE

After one
too many corporate mergers, Cindy Sample found herself plotting murder instead
of plodding through paperwork. Her first novel, Dying for a Date, combines bad dates, real estate, a few dead bodies, and
plenty of giggles. The
sequel, Dying for a Dance, which she describes as Murder She
Wrote meets DWTS, was a
finalist for the LEFTY Award for best humorous mystery. RT Book Reviews says
“Sample’s sleuth is an endearing character readers will adore.” To learn more
about Cindy and her books, visit her at her websiteand blog.

Cindy is
offering a copy of either book to one of our readers who posts a comment or
title suggestion for the next book in her series. Read on to find out how you
can also win a box of Hangtown fudge. -- AP

Humor and Homicide in Hangtown

A primary character in any
cozy mystery is the village or town where the story is set. If you’re dropping
dead bodies all over the place, most small towns would prefer that you not dump
them on their doorstep.

But if you’re an author who
combines humor with her homicides and you happen to live in a town referred to
as “Hangtown,” there’s no choice but to concoct what I refer to as a “reality
cozy series.”

Hangtown was the original name
for the town of Placerville where Laurel McKay, my protagonist, and I hang out.
I create crimes. She solves them. They don’t take kindly to troublemakers
around here, which could be why some of the locals strung up a few gold miners
one hundred fifty years ago.

You have to love a town with
a sense of humor! I originally debated the wisdom of setting my series in an
actual town located in the Gold Country of California.I knew that readers would demand 100
percent accuracy, and so far, no one has questioned the veracity of any of my
local descriptions. What I did not anticipate was that tourists from all over
the United States and England would actually visit sites mentioned in my books.
Breakfast at Sweetie Pies, a shopping spree through Placerville Hardware
(oldest hardware store west of the Mississippi), a wine tour of David Girard
Vineyards in Coloma and a slab of tawny port fudge (Laurel’s favorite)
purchased from the Candy Emporium.

My fans were thrilled to find
the actual venues mentioned in my book. But one thing perplexed them. They
couldn’t find the places where the dead bodies lurked! I explained to my readers
that proprietors prefer you don’t kill people in their real establishments.

But then a funny thing
happened on the streets of Old Hangtown.

Store owners started
approaching me and asking me to hide a body in their store. Wineries were dying to have me stuff someone in a
barrel of aged wine. The orchards in Apple Hill were loaded with good hiding
places. Nothing like a caramel-coated corpse. And the historic Gold Bug Mine
was a perfect spot to mine for murder.

With more than enough
locations and plots for me to choose from, the only dilemma I now have is the
title for my next book.In keeping
with my current theme of Dying for a Date, Dying for a Dance and Dying for aDaiquiri, I need a title for a mystery
that will occur when a real wagon train rolls into Hangtown for our annual
Wagon Train Week.

My first attempt is Dying for aDude, so
I’m fairly certain anyone can improve on that. Leave a comment or potential
title for the next book in the series, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for
an e-book of either Dying for a Date or Dying for a Dance. Plus my favorite title will also win a box of
Hangtown fudge!

Thanks for joining us today, Cindy!
Readers, let's hear some title suggestions for Cindy. And please, either
include your email or make sure you check back on Sunday to see if you're the
winner. Remember, we have no way of getting in touch with you otherwise. --
AP

I like your theme. I thought dying for a deputy (if you're thinking Marshall Dillon cowboy town). If you don't find what you're looking for, though, you could try http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml. I go there when I want a word that starts with or ends in a certain set of letters. You type in the letters you want and then put one of those little stars either in front of behind - depending what you're looking for. Choose common words only to get common words only - duh, I guess. Good luck!

This is so cool. A friend was just telling me we needed to go check out hangtown and I was telling him about these books that I love and now we can go and maybe even hunt for fake dead bodies. This just keeps getting better and better. Cannot wait for the next book!

I will follow Cindy Sample anywhere. Love her writing, love her wit, love her. I have no suggestions for a title, but glad the town opened its arms to you. You deserve no less. Thanks for the usual heartwarming blog. So Cindy!

I always knew the folks in Placerville had a sense of humor but for store owners to want a dead body IN their place! That's priceless. Will think of a suggestion for the next Dying For novel.Pat Canterbury

Cindy, The title that sticks naturally to my tongue after a ong wagon journey is:Dying for Drink. The innuendos can be worked into the plot, an you're good to go.

It's amazing how involved people get with the landmarks in your stories. When I read I keep a book of detailed maps of Europe, a Plan de Paris and a world atlas at my side, so I can locate, "place" and visualize the settings.

Hi Peter. Since DYING FOR A DAIQUIRI is book 3, I may have to hold off on DYING FOR A DRINK for a book or two. I don't want my fans to think Laurel is a lush. However your comment about maps got me thinking that I need a map of Hangtown with scenes from the book and of courses those places where the dead bodies keep popping up!

Is your wagon train just going to be on paved roads or out on a prairie somewhere? If there are any dirt roads involved, how about Dying for a Duster which is a long coat worn by horseman to keep their clothes dust free. I've watched way too many westerns thanks to my dad.

DYING FOR A DUSTER is definitely doable. These guys and gals take the wagon train from Reno, over a very steep grade (about 9500 feet) for a 120 mile trip that takes about 10 days. They almost always encounter snow even in early June. I was late to arrive this year so my shot was on the freeway and not as they were driving through town. Once they arrive in Hangtown, they kick up their heels because at the end of the trip they really are DYING FOR A DANCE!

Cindy, this is utterly delicious. I love that Hangtown, and the thought of a caramel coated corpse. Actually,for titles I like Dying for a Dude. Or maybe Dying for a Dummy? If you can make a wax or fabric or stick model of the dude? Oh well, silly thought.

Thanks, Nancy. I'm leaning toward DYING FOR A CARAMEL-COATED DUDE. I'll be in Apple Hill tomorrow selling books, eating apples, and lurking around those vats of gooey caramel! Hopefully I won't be the one to become caramel coated:-)

Cindy, I'm thinking "Dying for a Dray" since you're going for the wagon train theme. After all, a dray is a horse-drawn wagon for carrying beer and any self-respecting wagon master should appreciate having one of those along! Maybe you could get the beer tips from Leslie A. Diehl! LOL (And remember we're saving "Dying for a Demitasse" for when you and Laurel come to visit New Orleans!) Love ya, girl.

How about "Dying for a Dead Man's Hand?" I found this definition online: "Dead Man's Hand - A poker hand consisting of a pair of aces and a pair of eights. Traditionally, Wild Bill Hickok was holding this hand when he was shot dead by Jack McCall. Some sources dispute the hand, saying that it really contained two jacks, not aces and two eights." http://​www.legendsofamerica.com/​we-slang.html

Newsletter

Keep up with Lois and Anastasia by subscribing to author Lois Winston's newsletter where you'll find special features, contests, and giveaways available only to subscribers.

SCRAPBOOK OF MURDER

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 6

SLEUTHING WOMEN II: 10 MYSTERY NOVELLAS

LITERALLY DEAD: an Empty Nest Mystery, Book 2

SLEUTHING WOMEN: 10 FIRST-IN-SERIES MYSTERIES

A collection of 10 full-length mysteries featuring murder and assorted mayhem, each the first book in an established multi-book series

A STITCH TO DIE FOR

Book 5 in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series

MOM SQUAD: a Shadow Ops Novella

WE'D RATHER BE WRITING

BAKE, LOVE, WRITE

DEFINITELY DEAD

An Empty Nest Mystery, Book 1

CRAFTY CRIMES

a Trio of Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mysteries

PATCHWORK PERIL

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery

DECOUPAGE CAN BE DEADLY

MOSAIC MAYHEM

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery

REVENGE OF THE CRAFTY CORPSE

CREWEL INTENTIONS

an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery

DEATH BY KILLER MOP DOLL

ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY GLUE GUN

THE ANASTASIA POLLACK CRAFTING MYSTERIES

Read about Anastasia in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery seriesby Lois Winston. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Kirkus Reviews called it "North Jersey's more mature answer to Stephanie Plum." Assault With a Deadly Glue Gunwas also a Book of the Year Award nominee from ForeWord Reviews, a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist, and a Readers Choice Award nominee from the Salt Lake City Library System. Other books in the series include Death by Killer Mop Doll, Revenge of the Crafty Corpse, Decoupage Can Be Deadly, A Stitch to Die For, and Scrapbook of Murder, plus three mini-mysteries: Crewel Intentions,Mosaic Mayhem, and Patchwork Peril. Look for more of Anastasia's adventures coming in the future.

About Me

I'm the crafts editor at American Woman magazine; the single parent of two teenage boys and a Shakespeare quoting parrot; caretaker to a semi-invalid, communist mother-in-law from Hell and her demon dog; daughter to a multi-married descendant of the Czars (supposedly); reluctant cat-sitter to Mama's extremely corpulent white Persian cat; a born Jersey girl; and star of my own amateur sleuth mystery series.